All in all, this scene was magical. I'll never forget that party after the first show. Deadheads everywhere and all of us camped, partied, played music,and slept right there at the venue. My ride bailed early in second set and drove home, alone. I met friends from my hometown right after the show and never had to worry about getting home. What a time it was !!!!!!!!

I did some comparison listening, and this is clearly the best audience recording for Oxford 7/3/88. That said, it is a good to very good audience, not a stellar one by any means, but very satisfying. Listening to this show twenty years later, it is very good, but it's the scene that made the show magical. Hands down, this was the most beautiful, peaceful, groovy Dead scene I ever encountered (I saw shows between '85 and '94). Oxford was quiet, serene, and wooded. Deadheads were grooving everywhere -- swimming in streams, hanging out in fields, hiking along the local route through the small town that was there. The vibe was incredible -- kind of a latter day Veneta Oregon (I think of the film of that great '72 show) or at least as I imagine that scene was. Little Feat, playing with energy in their late 80s revival, let off.

The show itself is very good -- strong '88 Dead. Any first set with "Sugaree" and "Birdsong," as well played as these are, makes for a super first set, and it doesn't feel short, despite the song count.

"Hey Pockey Way" is blistering and joyous (the song that stands out in my memory the best) and kicks off a strong second set, only to be stopped in its tracks by -- I hate to say it -- a cheesey "Little Girl Lost," a song that sounds even worse twenty years later. The post-drums sequence is lively and strong, and the "Mr. Fantasy/Hey Jude" suite is outstanding (maybe one of the most rousing and rocking ever). Give it a listen. In short, Brent -- and I love him -- brings out both the best and worst of this very good show -- the site of the best Dead scene I ever experienced and one of my favorite concert experiences of all time.

these Oxford shows stand as a peak in my mind; on the Birdsong, there was someone who flew over and halfway into the stadium in a hand glider, which apparently made the band a bit nervous and prompted an early end to the set; it was harmless enough, but i guess the bird glider couldn't get a ticket ?
No one wanted the show to end, as the long crowd NFA evidences
Peace, G
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